Biden administration 'undecided' on ending Trump-era H-1B visa ban
- by Virginia Carter
- in World Media
- — Mar 3, 2021
At a press briefing at the White House on Monday, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas argued the United States is not experiencing a crisis at the border, instead calling the situation "a challenge. that we are managing".
Appearing in the White House briefing room, Mayorkas also took aim at the prior administration - and said the Department of Homeland Security is working to "replace the cruelty" of the Trump administration with "an orderly humane and safe immigration process".
However, it is going to take time, because of the immigration system that the Biden administration has inherited from its predecessor, he said. "Quite frankly, the entire system was gutted".
Former US President Donald Trump has warned that under the Biden administration, the country's dependence on foreign oil may increase and that energy prices could rise. "What we are seeing now at the order is the immediate result of the dismantlement of the system and the time that it takes to rebuild it virtually from scratch".
The former POTUS also slammed the Biden administration's decision to return to the Paris climate deal, saying the move ruined his efforts to turn the U.S. into an energy independent country.
A day earlier, Trump at an event in Florida had alleged that the Biden administration has put the national security at risk by opening up the borders to illegal immigrants.
Trump's immigration approach largely focused on hardline enforcement and security measures including the appropriation of billions of dollars for a border wall, which Biden stopped. Information Technology (IT) companies in USA depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
Border officials said they need to prepare for potential border surges as the Biden administration continues to push for large scale immigration changes. We can't afford the problems of the world, as much as we'd love to. However, Republican Senator Marco Rubio is of the view that a skilled work visa during pandemic-sparked economic crisis would be "very difficult" to manage.
"Under the radical Democrat policies the price of gasoline has already surged 30 percent since the election and will go to $5, $6, $7 and even higher, so enjoy that when you go to the pump", Trump told the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando on Sunday.
Indian IT professionals, most of whom are highly skilled and come to the USA mainly on the H-1B work visas, are the worst sufferers of the current immigration system which imposes a seven per cent per country quota on allotment of the coveted Green Card or permanent legal residency.
But the news media is in a crisis of its own.
